ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Home Affairs
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah holds a review meeting on the security situation of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir in New Delhi today
Union Home Minister reviews the functioning of the security grid and various aspects related to security, reiterates that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Government of India is committed towards zero tolerance against terrorism
Shri Amit Shah also reviews Area Domination Plan, Zero Terror Plan, Law & order situation, cases related to UAPA and other security related issues
Lauds the efforts of the security agencies and administration of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir for substantial reduction in cross border infiltration and improvement in law & order and also advises to strengthen the routine policing
Home Minister also reviews preparation of G-20 Meeting, scheduled to be held in Srinagar in May, 2023, asks all agencies to work in a coordinated manner for successful conduct of the event
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah held a review meeting on the security situation of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir in New Delhi today. National Security Advisor, Shri Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary, Director , RAW Chief and other senior officials of the Government of India, including the Officers from UT of Jammu &Kashmir attended the meeting.
Union Home Minister reviewed the functioning of the security grid and various aspects related to security. He reiterated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Government of India is committed towards zero tolerance against terrorism.
Shri Amit Shah also reviewed the Area Domination Plan, Zero Terror Plan, Law and order situation, cases related to UAPA and other security related issues. Home Minister appreciated the efforts of the security agencies and administration of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir for substantial reduction in cross border infiltration and improvement in law & order and also advised to strengthen the routine policing.
Home Minister also reviewed the preparation of G-20 Meeting which is scheduled to be held in Srinagar in May, 2023 and asked all agencies to work in a coordinated manner for successful conduct of the event.
Ministry of Steel
Development and Modernization of Steel Plants
Steel is a de-regulated sector and the role of the Ministry is that a facilitator. Decision regarding development and modernization of steel plants are taken by individual company based on techno-commercial considerations.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Steel Shri Ram Chandra Prasad Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE SAYS POWER GENERATION CAN PLAY PIVOTAL ROLE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Kolkata: January 18, 2019
Thermal and Hydel Power generation can play a pivotal role in economic development of the country, said Minister of State in Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale. Addressing the media in Maithon dam, Dhanbad today, he said Damodar Valley Corporation  has potential in irrigation and power generation. DVC being one of the leader in power sector in India, formed in 1948 had a potential capacity of 7400 MW installed capacity with 4 dams, namely Maithon, Panchet, Tilaiya and Konar, over Damodar rivers, he said. The Minister today visited DVC Maithon as mark of respect to Dr BR Ambedkar, who played pivotal role for the vision of foundation of DVC and development of water resources in the country.
Shri Athawale urged the leadership and management team of DVC to develop the roadmap where Central Government initiatives in power and allied sector could be developed for the betterment of the people. He said that the vision of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar can be fulfilled by the cooperation and hard work of DVC and all the stakeholders in the value chain of power sector. The Minister also held a meeting with the officers of the Damodar Valley Corporation . He reviewed the initiatives of the DVC with officials with regards to carrying forward the vision of Dr. BR Ambedkar for water development.
Earlier in the day, the minister was present in a felicitation programme by Marwari Community at Asansol. He emphasised that there is need to bring awareness of the policies and programmes of the Central Government which is being done for the benefit of the people. He said, people should be aware of Government initiatives so that they can utilise it for the growth, development and betterment of all communities.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Open Network for Digital Commerce created to democratise the existing ecommerce ecosystem of the country: Shri Piyush Goyal
ONDC is an engine of growth that has the potential to redefine the industry completely: Shri Goyal
Significant number of sellers on the network is a testimony to ONDC's impact: Shri Goyal
Over 80 Network Participants attend ONDC Elevate to celebrate the shared success of the first year of the network
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal said that Open Network for Digital Commerce  was created to democratise the existing ecommerce ecosystem of the country during his virtual address at the “ONDC Elevate” program in Bengaluru. Shri Goyal chaired the program and said that ONDC is an engine of growth that has the potential to redefine the industry completely.
The Minister said that a significant number of sellers on the network is itself a testimony to ONDC's impact as digital commerce is being re-imagined. Shri Goyal engaged with all Network Participants during the Open House, noting their feedback and guiding them to redouble their efforts to democratize digital commerce in India. The Minister also noted in response to queries from participants that, “any marketplace joining ONDC should come with serious commitment, and not for namesake”. He also pointed out that when a platform comes on ONDC, it should be in the spirit of give and take, and not just simply taking benefit from the network without contributing back to its progress.
“ONDC Elevate” commemorated ONDC's one-year completion, fostering a collaborative environment by bringing together participants and ecosystem players of the network. It provided a platform for open discussions on accomplishments to date and facilitated brainstorming sessions to shape the future trajectory of ONDC.
The members of the ONDC Advisory Council – Dilip Asbe, CEO, NPCI, Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman, Capacity Building Commission and Jaxay Shah, Chairman, QCI also attended the event. This interactive session gave participants the opportunity to share their suggestions, and to benefit from the guidance of the Hon’ble Minister and the advisory council members.
Shri T. Koshy, MD & CEO, ONDC said that as ONDC completes a year of its operations, it's an ideal time to take a look back on what has been achieved so far while preparing for the future. He said that from 5 cities to 236 cities, the network has continuously evolved with diverse participation of merchants.
The group also discussed the various milestones ONDC has completed in the past year. From the launch of beta testing on September 29, 2022, ONDC has scaled to 36,000 sellers, 45+ Network participants and 8+ categories, with a weekly average of 13,000+ retail orders and 36,000+ mobility rides per day with peak transactions reaching 25,000 retail orders on a day. The workshop also focused on the impact ONDC is generating, especially for SHGs and non-digitized sellers.
Election Commission
Bye Election to the Maharashtra Legislative Council by the members of respective Legislative Assembly 
There is one casual vacancy in the Maharashtra Legislative Council by the members of respective Legislative Assembly. The details of the vacancy are as follow:
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S.No
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Name of Member
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Type of Elections
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Cause of vacancy
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Term up to
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1.
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Shri Munde, Dhananjay Panditrao
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By MLAs
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Elected in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on 24.10.2019 
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07.07.2022
2. The Commission has decided to hold bye-election to the Maharashtra Legislative Council by the Member of the respective Legislative Assembly to fill the above mentioned vacancy as per the following schedule: -
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S.No.
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Subject of Programme
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Dates and Days
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-
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Issue of Notifications
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07th January, 2020 
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-
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Last Date of making nominations
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14th January, 2020 
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-
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Scrutiny of nominations
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15th January, 2020 
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-
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Last date for withdrawal of candidatures
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17th January, 2020 
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-
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Date of Poll
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24th January, 2020 
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-
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Hours of Poll
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9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
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-
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Counting of Votes
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24th January, 2020  at 5.00 p.m.
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-
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Date before which election shall be completed
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28th January 2020
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets people on Buddha Purnima
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima.
“The teachings of Lord Buddha are extremely relevant in the 21st century. His was a life devoted to alleviating suffering and removing injustice from society. His compassion has endeared him to millions. Buddha Purnima greetings to everyone”, the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Nitin Gadkari organizes program under National Vayoshree and Adip  scheme in Nagpur
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari under the Central Government's National Vayoshree and Adip  scheme in Nagpur today provided free equipment and materials to senior citizens and differently-abled persons.
In 2016, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act was issued by the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Under this, screening camps were organized for senior citizens and differently-abled people from 27 February to 23 April 2022 under Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana, in which about 36,000 people including 28,000 in Nagpur city and 8,000 in rural Nagpur were screened. Equipment and materials are being distributed to all of them. The total cost of all these tools and materials is Rs 34.83 crore.
Programs are being organized for distribution of these devices in all the six assembly constituencies of Nagpur city, today  is the second program in the same series. Today, a total of 34,130 devices have been given to 4,549 beneficiaries of East Nagpur Assembly Constituency, with a combined cost of more than Rs 4.82 crore.
The 43 types of these devices mainly include tools and materials such as three wheeler cycles , wheel chairs, walking sticks, digital hearing aids, smart phones with screen reading for the visually impaired, braille cans  along with prosthetic arms and legs .
AYUSH
Ministry of Ayush signed MoU with ITDC for Promotion of Medical Value travel in India
MoA and ITDC will explore establishment of Ayurveda and Yoga centre in the Hotels run by ITDC
MoA and ITDC will identify tourist circuits, where there is immense scope to promote Medical Value Travel
Ministry of Ayush has signed a Memorandum of Understanding  with India Tourism Development Corporation , Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to work together for the promotion of Medical Value Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.
Dr. Shashi Ranjan Vidyarthi, Director, Ministry of Ayush and Shri Piyush Tiwari, Director , ITDC signed the MoU in presence of Shri Pramod Kumar Pathak, special secretary, MoA and other senior officials of Ministry of Ayush and ITDC.
According to the MoU, Ministry of Ayush will provide training to the officials of ITDC to sensitize them about the Medical value travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine. It will identify tourist circuits, where there is immense scope to promote Medical value travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine and provide all the technical knowhow from time to time to ITDC.
ITDC on suggestion of Ministry of Ayush will include historical heritage sites of Indian systems of medicine in tourist destinations under "Knowledge Tourism and may develop films/literature useful to tourists. It will explore establishing Ayurveda and Yoga centre in the Hotels run by ITDC and will organize sensitization workshops in collaboration.
The implementation and progress of the MoU will be monitored by a Joint Working Group  co-chaired by representatives from MoA and ITDC. The JWG will also identify the best practices adopted by Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand etc. to promote themselves as a preferred destination for Medical value travel.
In the recently concluded First Health Working Group meeting of G20 India presidency at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala G20 delegates deliberated on opportunities and challenges to promote MVT in India.
Medical Value Travel has seen significant growth in India in recent years. According to the report ‘The Global Wellness Economy: Looking beyond COVID’ by the Global Wellness Institute , the Global Wellness economy will grow at 9.9% annually. Ayush based healthcare & Wellness economy is estimated to grow to $70 billion by 2025.
SK
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Ministry of Women and Child Development
Monitoring Mechanism for Protection of Child Rights
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is administering the Juvenile Justice  Act, 2015  which is the primary legislation for ensuring safety, security, dignity and well-being of children. The Act provides for protection of children in need of care and protection and those in conflict with law by catering to their basic needs through care, protection, development, treatment and social re-integration. It defines standards of care and protection to secure the best interest of child.
Under the JJ Act 2015 , the Child Welfare Committees have been empowered to take decisions with regard to the children in need of care and protection, keeping their best interest in mind. They are also mandated to monitor the function of the Child Care Institutions . Similarly, the Juvenile Justice Boards are empowered to take decisions regarding the welfare of children in conflict with law . At the national and state level, the JJ Act provides the National/State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights to monitor the implementation of the Act .
The Ministry is implementing a centrally sponsored scheme namely “Mission Vatsalya”  Scheme) under which support and financial assistance on predefined cost sharing pattern is provided to State and UT Governments for delivering services for children in difficult circumstances. The Child Care Institutions  established under the Mission Vatsalya scheme support inter-alia age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care, counselling etc. As per the scheme guidelines, quantum of sponsorship of Rs.4000/- per child per month is available for Non-institutional Care of children in Need of Care and Protection and the provision for maintenance grant of Rs.3000/- per child per month for children living in Child Care Institution.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurates and lays foundation stone of National Highway projects of 240 Km worth Rs.9119 crore in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.
Shri Gadkari launches first Intelligent Transport System on 6 Lane Eastern Peripheral Expressway
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari today inaugurated and laid foundation stone of National Highway projects of 240 Km worth Rs.9119 crore in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.
Inaugurating and laying of foundation stone for 6 National Highway projects in Meerut with a total cost of Rs.8,364 crore Shri Gadkari said with these projects it will be easy for the farmers of the area to take their crops to the market, which will lead to their economic upliftment. He said being a big center of industry, these new highways will lead Meerut on a new path of development.
Addressing the gathering at the foundation Stone Laying and Inauguration of 3 National Highway Projects worth Rs 755 Crore in Muzaffarnagar Shri Gadkari emphasized on welfare of farmers by leveraging technology and research for economic prosperity . He stressed on the importance of Ethanol, Hydrogen and other bio-fuels for overall progress , self sufficiency and sustainable development.
Shri Gadkari also launched first Intelligent Transport system  on 6 Lane Eastern Peripheral Expressway at Dasna, Ghaziabad .The Minister said this revolutionary state of the art technology will achieve traffic efficiency by minimizing traffic problems, efficient infrastructure usage, enriching users with prior information about traffic and reduce travel time as well as enhance safety and comfort of commuters.
Shri Gadkari also inspected Rail Over Bridge Project at Chipiyana, Gautam Buddha Nagar.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Sowing area coverage under Kharif crops 8.56% more compared to corresponding period of last year
Significant increase in sowing area coverage of rice and oilseeds
As on 21.08.2020, total kharif crops has been sown on 1062.93 lakh ha area against 979.15 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year, thus increase in area coverage by 8.56% compared to corresponding period of last year in the country. The status of progress of sowing area coverage under Kharif crops is given as under:
Rice: 378.32 lakh ha against 338.65 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year i.e. increase in area coverage by 11.71%,
Pulses: 132.56 lakh ha against 124.15 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year i.e. increase in area coverage by 6.77%,
Coarse Cereals: 174.06 lakh ha area against 166.80 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year i.e. increase in area coverage by 4.35%,
Oilseeds: 191.14 lakh ha area against 167.53 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year i.e. area coverage increased by 14.09%,
Sugarcane: 52.19 lakh ha area against 51.62 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year i.e. increase in area coverage by 1.10%,
Cotton: 127.69 lakh ha area against 123.54 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year i.e. increase in area coverage by 3.36%,
Jute & Mesta: 6.97 lakh ha area against 6.86 lakh ha area during the corresponding period of last year i.e. increase in area coverage by 1.68% in the country.
There is no impact of COVID-19 on progress of area coverage under kharif crops as on date.
As on 20.08.2020, actual rainfall received in the country is 663.0 mm against normal of 628.3 mm i.e. departure of 6% during the period from 01.06.2020 to 20.08.2020.
As reported by Central Water Commission, the live water storage available in 123 reservoirs in the country is 90% of live storage of corresponding period of last year and 107% of storage of average of last ten years.
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Ministry of Electronics & IT
UIDAI urges verification entities to adhere to Aadhaar usage hygiene
The Unique Identification Authority of India  has issued a set of guidelines to Offline Verification Seeking Entities  highlighting several usage hygiene issues, better safety mechanisms at users level, and ways to further enhance residents’ trust while using Aadhaar voluntarily for lawful purposes.
Entities have been informed to perform verification of Aadhaar after explicit consent of the Aadhaar number holder. These entities need to be courteous to residents and assure them about the security and confidentiality of their Aadhaar while conducting offline verification.
Entities must maintain the log/record of the explicit consent received from residents for any future audit by UIDAI or any other legal agency thereof.
UIDAI has also asked OVSEs to verify Aadhaar via the QR Code present on all four forms of Aadhaar  instead of accepting Aadhaar in physical or electronic form, as a proof of identity.
Offline verification is the use of Aadhaar for carrying out identity verification and KYC processes locally, without connecting to the Central Identities Data Repository of UIDAI. The organizations conducting offline verification of an Aadhaar number holder for a lawful purpose are called OVSEs.
Entities have been urged to ensure that no services are denied to any resident for refusing to or being unable to undergo offline verification of Aadhaar, provided the resident is able to identify himself/ herself through other viable alternatives. It has been underlined that OVSEs need to provide residents viable alternative means of identification in addition to Aadhaar, for rendering service.
Verification entities, generally should not collect, use or store Aadhaar number of the resident after having conducted offline verification of Aadhaar, UIDAI has informed OVSEs. Post verification, if the OVSE finds it necessary for any reason, to store a copy of Aadhaar, the OVSE must ensure that Aadhaar number is redacted/masked and irretrievable.
Any Aadhaar can be verified using the QR code available on all forms of Aadhaar  using mAadhaar App, or Aadhaar QR code Scanner. Tampering of Aadhaar documents can be detected by offline verification, and tampering is a punishable offence and liable for penalties under Section 35 of the Aadhaar Act.
In case, they notice any misuse of information, verification entities need to inform UIDAI and the resident concern within 72 hours. UIDAI has cautioned OVSEs not to perform offline verification on behalf of any other entity or person and ensure full cooperation to the Authority or law enforcement agencies in case of any investigation involving misuse of Aadhaar.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Graded relaxation in visa and travel restrictions
In view of the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of India had taken a series of steps to curtail the inward and outward movement of international passengers since February, 2020.
The Government has now decided to make a graded relaxation in visa and travel restrictions for more categories of foreign nationals and Indian nationals who wish to enter or leave India. Therefore, it has been decided to permit all OCI and PIO card holders and all other foreign nationals intending to visit India for any purpose, except on a Tourist Visa to enter by air or water routes through authorized airports and seaport immigration check posts. This includes flights operated under Vande Bharat Mission, Air Transport Bubble arrangements or by any non scheduled commercial flights as allowed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. All such travelers will, however have to strictly adhere to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare regarding quarantine and other health/COVID-19 matters.
Under this graded relaxation, Government of India has also decided to restore with immediate effect all existing visas . If the validity of such visas has expired, fresh visas of appropriate categories can be obtained from Indian Mission/Posts concerned. Foreign nationals intending to visit India for medical treatment can apply for a Medical Visa including for their medical attendants. Therefore, this decision will enable foreign nationals to come to India for various purposes such as business, conferences, employment, studies, research, medical purposes etc.